Rocker dominates another elimination game

June 26th, 2021

If you absolutely have to win, put the ball in the hands of Kumar Rocker.

The Vanderbilt ace delivered yet another gem Friday in an elimination game against NC State in the College World Series semifinals, pitching six innings of one-run baseball in the Commodores' 3-1 win. He racked up 11 strikeouts, including striking out the first six batters he faced.

The victory originally set up a winner-take-all rematch for Saturday, with the winner of that game advancing to the best-of-3 finals. But early Saturday morning, the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee declared Saturday's game a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols and that Vanderbilt will advance to the finals, set to begin on Monday against the winner of Saturday's Texas-Mississippi St. game.

The 21-year-old right-hander is ranked as the No. 6 prospect for the 2021 MLB Draft, which begins on July 11.

Rocker improved to 14-3 on the season, lowered his ERA to 2.52 and re-took the NCAA lead in strikeouts from his teammate and co-ace Jack Leiter. Rocker now has 173 strikeouts this season; Leiter has 171.

Rocker has been sensational in postseason elimination games in his college career. He's now a perfect 3-0 in three starts in elimination games -- with a 0.84 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.

In his other two elimination-game starts in 2019, Rocker first threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in the Super Regionals, then struck out 11 in 6 1/3 innings of one-run baseball to beat Michigan in Game 2 of the College World Series finals.